John Grey was the youngest surviving son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset and Margaret, widow of William Medley and daughter of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe. Grey married Mary Browne, daughter of Sir Anthony Browne and his first wife, Alice Gage.
He was condemned to death for his involvement in Wyatt"s rebellion against Mary I, but was released under attainder. He was restored from attainder by Mary"s successor, Elizabeth I, who also granted him the royal palace at Pirgo. He was again imprisoned for a short time after the publication of a book claiming that Catherine was the legitimate heir to the throne.
Grey served as deputy at Newhaven (now Le Havre) in France at the English fortification while it was strengthened and given extra storage facilities.
He received grants from Edward VI of the rectory of Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire with additional estates in Leicestershire, his family"s home county, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire which were confirmed by Queen Mary with additional grants of Bardon Park, Leicestershire and the site of the monastery of Kirby Bellars. Grey was his father"s sole surviving son but he was disallowed the marquessate.
Lady Jane Grey, John Grey"s niece, had been sentenced to death for treason before Wyatt"s rebellion. She was executed the month after the rebellion.
Grey appeared at court as head of his family, attended the Queen on her first progress to London and gave her a costly gift on the first New Year"s Day of her reign.
A few months later he complained of poverty to her chief adviser and the Queen granted him her own manor of Pirgo and its house as well as lands in Somerset. The marriage was quickly discovered and she was confined to The Tower. Released under house arrest in 1563 for her safety during an outbreak of plague she was sent to Pirgo under the care of John Grey.
Then a book circulated claiming that Catherine was lawful heir and not Mary, Queen of Scots.
The Queen removed Catherine from his charge and John Grey was briefly taken into custody. Lord John Grey of Pirgo died a short time later at Pirgo on 19 November 1564 and was buried there in his chapel.
